LEVinars Archives | League of Education Voters

LEVinar Wrapped – Highlights from the Most-Watched LEVinars of 2022

December 21, 2022 by Arik Korman

Our LEVinar panelists are students, educators, administrators, parents, caregivers, advocates, scholars, and more. Watch what we have learned from them in 2022.

Superintendents from Across Washington state on Mental Health and How This Year Will be Different, featuring:
* Chetan Soni, a junior at Lincoln High School, Seattle Public Schools and member of the Association of Washington Student Leaders (AWSL)
* Superintendent Ron Banner, Clover Park School District
* Dr. Adam Swinyard, Spokane Public Schools
* Dr. Shelley Redinger, Richland School District

A Discussion about Critical Race Theory in K-12 Classrooms, featuring:
* Ruby Coulson, a senior at Sequim High School in the Sequim School District and Chair of the Washington state Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC)
* Dr. David Stovall, Professor of Black Studies and Criminology, Law & Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago
* Dr. Verónica Vélez, Associate Professor of Secondary Education and Education & Social Justice at Western Washington University
* Tracy Castro-Gill, Executive Director of Washington Ethnic Studies Now

Special Education in Washington state, featuring:
* Mia Crump, a senior at Roosevelt High School in Seattle Public Schools
* Jeremiah Audet, a sophomore at Rogers High School in Spokane Public Schools
* Dr. Tania May, Assistant Superintendent of Special Education Services at the Washington state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction

Watch:

LEVinar Recap: The Fair Start for Kids Act

May 18, 2021 by Arik Korman

By Lizzeth Mancilla
Engagement and Policy Intern

Early learning matters for our families, our businesses, and our future. Children, families, and early childhood professionals are celebrating the signing of the Fair Start for Kids Act and its historic investments in early learning. These strong investments in child care, quality pre-K, and other birth-to-5 services will help ensure that all children are thriving — and help Washington get back to work.

In this webinar, Washington state Representative Tana Senn and Senator Claire Wilson, prime sponsors of the Fair Start for Kids Act, along with early childhood education providers Luc Jasmin III from Parkview Early Learning Center in Spokane and Susan Yang from the Denise Louie Education Center in Seattle, explained how the newly signed omnibus legislation takes strong steps to address affordability, access, and the economic crisis. They also answered your questions.

What is in the final version of the Fair Start for Kids Act?

Here are some key components of the Fair Start for Kids Act, Senate Bill 5237: Read More

Recap: Washington state Teachers of the Year on Reimagining Education after COVID

April 27, 2021 by Arik Korman

By Lizzeth Mancilla
Engagement and Policy Intern

As we enter the final quarter of this historic and challenging school year, students, families, and educators across Washington are navigating remote, hybrid, and modified in-person learning environments. But what should education look like when all schools reopen?

In this webinar, Washington state Teachers of the Year Brooke Brown (2021), Amy Campbell (2020), Robert Hand (2019), Mandy Manning (2018, and the 2018 National Teacher of the Year), Camille Jones (2017), Nate Bowling (2016), and Lyon Terry (2015) shared what they are hearing from students, families, and colleagues in their community on how the 2020-21 school year is going, how they recommend reimagining education based on what they have learned from teaching during the COVID pandemic, and answered your questions.
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Recap: The Role of K-12 Schools in Addressing Racially Motivated Violence

April 21, 2021 by Arik Korman

By Lizzeth Mancilla
Engagement and Policy Intern

From police violence around the country to the marked increase in attacks on members of the Asian American Pacific Islander community, we are continuing to see disturbing examples of racially motivated violence in the news. Over the past year, social movements have been thrust into the national spotlight, with youth at the forefront of the conversation. Recent incidents are impacting them in multiple ways, but how should K-12 schools respond?

In this webinar, we assembled a statewide panel of students, educators, and a community organizer to discuss the impacts of racially motivated violence and how schools can best support students on a daily basis. They also answered your questions.

Our panelists included:

Yubi, a junior at Shorewood High School, Shoreline School District, and the Director of Community Outreach with the Washington state Legislative Youth Advisory Council
Lily, a junior at Mabton High School, Mabton School District, and a Second Year Councilmember with the Washington state Legislative Youth Advisory Council
Ivy, a junior at North Central High School, Spokane Public Schools, and a First-Year Councilmember with the Washington state Legislative Youth Advisory Council
Zana, a junior at Bethel High School, Bethel School District, and a member of Root of Our Youth
Rena, a junior at Cleveland High School, Seattle Public Schools, and a member of the NAACP Youth Council
Marlo, a freshman at the University of Washington and a member of Root of Our Youth
Denisha Saucedo, a 6th-grade teacher at Kent Elementary School, Kent School District, and the 2018 Regional Teacher of the Year from the Puget Sound Educational Service District
Jasmine Linane-Booey, a kindergarten through 8th grade World Languages teacher at Spokane Public Montessori, Spokane Public Schools
Tina Van, the Community Engagement Coordinator from the Hilltop Peace and Community Center in Tacoma

Recap: WA state Superintendent Chris Reykdal on State Assessments during the 2020-21 School Year

March 29, 2021 by Arik Korman

By Lizzeth Mancilla
Engagement and Policy Intern

In this webinar, Washington state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal outlined what he knows about this historic and challenging year’s requirements for state testing and answered your questions.

This LEVinar was meant to be a forum and opportunity for discussion, questions, and understanding about an issue that will affect many families this spring. Our goal is to support families in better understanding what to expect regarding statewide assessments.

Recap: Washington state Principals on Education in the Time of COVID

March 25, 2021 by Arik Korman

By Lizzeth Mancilla
Engagement and Policy Intern

In this webinar, we partnered with the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) to assemble a panel of principals from across Washington state to discuss how the 2020-21 school year is going, how they would reimagine education based on what they have learned from this unprecedented school year, and how principals can be better supported at the state and district levels. They also answered your questions.

Panelists included:

Jason Smith, Rogers High School, Puyallup School District
Tricia Kannberg, Regal Elementary School, Spokane Public Schools
Carlos Gonzalez, McFarland Middle School, Othello School District
Nathan Plummer, Sultan Middle School, Sultan School District
Cindy Cromwell, Kelso Virtual Academy, Kelso School District
John Belcher, Mount Si High School, Snoqualmie School District
Justin Hendrickson, South Shore PreK-8, Seattle Public Schools

Recap: Why Every Family Deserves a Fair Start

February 16, 2021 by Arik Korman

By Lizzeth Mancilla
Engagement and Policy Intern

Representative Tana Senn (left) and Senator Claire Wilson (right)

In this webinar, Washington state Representative Tana Senn and Senator Claire Wilson, prime sponsors of the Fair Start for Kids Act (House Bill 1213 and Senate Bill 5237), explain how their omnibus legislation takes strong steps to address child care and early learning affordability, access, and the economic crisis. They also answered questions from the audience.

Recap: A Listening Session with Voices from the Latino Community Part 2

February 10, 2021 by Arik Korman

By Lizzeth Mancilla
Engagement and Policy Intern

Dr. Susana Reyes (left), Dr. Nydia A. Martinez (middle), Tanya Medina (right)

In this webinar, we assembled another statewide panel of Latino thought leaders, community leaders, and educators to share their perspectives on what is working, and not working, in their communities and what state legislators can do to better support Latino students. Panelists included Dr. Susana Reyes, Assistant Superintendent of Operations for the Pasco School District and Member of the Washington State Board of Education; Dr. Nydia A. Martinez, Director of the Chicana/o/x Studies Program, Academic Director of the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), and Assistant Professor of History at Eastern Washington University (EWU); and Tanya Medina, Alianza Youth Leadership Co-Manager with the Latino Community Fund.

Recap: Our Rising Voices – Supporting Emergent Multilingual Students

January 26, 2021 by Arik Korman

By Lizzeth Mancilla
Engagement and Policy Intern

In collaboration with the Road Map Project, League of Education Voters partner OneAmerica has published a new report, Our Rising Voices: A Call to Action to Support Emergent Multilingual Students. In this webinar, Nimco Bulale, Education Program Manager from OneAmerica, shared takeaways from the report and answered questions from the audience.

LEVinar Recap: What to Expect in the 2021 Legislative Session

January 14, 2021 by Arik Korman

By Lizzeth Mancilla
Engagement and Policy Intern

The Washington state Legislative Session started this Monday, where hundreds of bills concerning early learning, safe and supportive schools, local levies/LEA, special education, etc. are being introduced in either the Senate or House of Representatives.

In this webinar, League of Education Voters Director of Policy and Research Jacob Vela and government relations consultant Carey Morris give an overview of the 2021 legislative landscape, outline our priorities for the 2021 legislative session, and answer questions.